Nikhiya Shamsher: QuitPuff
QuitPuff — colorimetric saliva test for oral-cancer risk.
At 14, Nikhiya saw an oral-cancer patient and asked why a disease with a slow, visible onset in smokers had no cheap early screen. QuitPuff mixes saliva with a reagent that reacts with malondialdehyde, a by-product of lipid peroxidation; after fifteen minutes' heating the colour is matched against a chart. Her ISEF abstract reports 500 subjects, 96 per cent accuracy and a 0.93 correlation with laboratory spectroscopy, and the work was published in two peer-reviewed journals. She won a Third Award at Intel ISEF 2019 and the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award.
A correction that circulates widely: her 2017 Diana Award was for social work, supplying school materials to 4,200 children, not for an invention.
IP note
No public patent record; two peer-reviewed papers; product site exists.
Recognition
Intel ISEF 2019 Third Award; GYTI award.
What this means for a student inventor in India
[Editor: 120–200 words connecting this story to the Indian route — Section 6 (any true inventor may apply), provisional vs complete specification, disclosure at fairs (Section 31), renewals, and who owns what when a school is involved. Link to the relevant MYCrave guide.]
Related young innovators
- Easton LaChappelle — 3D-printed robotic prosthetic arm; later TrueLimb
- Shalini Kumari — Stair-climbing walker with adjustable front legs
- Arsh Shah Dilbagi — TALK
Sources
[Editor: list the 2–4 primary sources from the research notes for this entry, with the date checked.]
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